NOVEL OLIGONUCLEOTIDE COMPOSITIONS AND PROBE SEQUENCES USEFUL FOR DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF microRNAs AND THEIR TARGET mRNAs

Abstract

The invention relates to ribonucleic acids and oligonucleotide probes useful for detection and analysis of microRNAs and their target mRNAs, as well as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The invention furthermore relates to oligonucleotide probes for detection and analysis of other non-coding RNAs, mRNAs, mRNA splice variants, allelic variants of single transcripts, mutations, deletions, or duplications of particular exons in transcripts, e.g. alterations associated with human disease, such as cancer.

1 . A method of creating a nucleotide duplex, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a miRNA; and   (b) contacting said miRNA with nucleotide probe that hybridizes to said miRNA and comprises a plurality of LNA monomers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said contacting occurs in a cell. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the duplex that forms is a substrate for RNAse H. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the duplex that forms is not a substrate for RNAse H. 
     
     
         5 . A method of inhibiting the biological activity of a miRNA, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing said miRNA; and   (b) contacting said miRNA with a probe of  claim 1  that hybridizes to said miRNA, thereby inhibiting the biological activity of said miRNA.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said contacting occurs in a cell. 
     
     
         7 . A method of determining the biological activity of a miRNA, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing said miRNA;   (b) contacting said miRNA with a nucleotide probe that hybridizes to said miRNA and comprises a plurality of LNA monomers; and   (c) assaying said biological activity.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said contacting occurs in a cell.